Her legislation to boost funding for safety has been approved in both state houses, awaits governor’s signature
East Bay Times
A bill from Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, on candidate security, AB 2041, passed its final vote through the Legislature early Sunday and is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Bonta released the statement below in response.
“Stalking and harassment have become all too common in today’s politics, especially for candidates who are female, LGBTQ+ and candidates of color. These tactics only serve to hurt our political process by intimidating wonderful potential candidates out of participating in our political system.
“I’m proud that my bill, AB 2041, to increase security opportunities for political candidates, has passed through the Legislature and is heading to the governor’s desk. I’m grateful for the bipartisan support this bill has received to prioritize safety and look forward to Governor Newsom signing this critical bill.”
AB 2041 would make California’s political candidate finance policies reflect the modern-day political climate. With the threats to elected officials and candidates running for office increasing at an alarming rate, according to Bonta’s office, the updates provided by this bill are long overdue.
If signed into law, the bill would increase the lifetime cap and extend security expense eligibility to the candidate’s or elected official’s family and staff. According to the California Women’s List’s 2023 Report, nearly two-thirds of women candidates (65.38%) experienced harassment during their campaigns, compared to 50% of men.
The report’s data was even more stark for women candidates of color — 54.76% of whom experienced stalking at least once during their campaigns (28.57% reportedly experiencing stalking frequently or very frequently). For LGBTQ+ women candidates, according to the report, 53.33% experienced stalking during their campaigns.
Bonta represents the East Bay 18th California Assembly District encompassing Oakland, Alameda and Emeryville. She also chairs the Assembly Health Committee.